Prosecution dropped following defendant’s death

1-11-18 Georgia:

Federal prosecutors asked for the dropping of charges against a man accused of committing sex crimes following the man’s death in December.

A federal grand jury indicted Brian A. Temple, 55, in September 2015 for attempted online enticement of a minor, interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and commission of a sex offense by an individual required to register as a sex offender.

According to the indictment, he allegedly used a cellphone in August 2015 to arrange a sexual encounter with a person he believed was a 15-year-old girl, and later that month drove to Florida to meet with the girl. He was previously been convicted in 1999 in Massachusetts for a sex offense against a child younger than 14, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s sex offender database. ..Contined..

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Was homicide victim attacked because of his alleged history as sex offender? Detectives looking into the possibility

1-9-18 California:

A Los Angeles man who was stabbed more than 50 times and whose body was dumped near Rosamond may have been targeted in the belief that he was a sex offender, according to a search warrant.

The slaying of Roderick White may be connected to comments found on his Facebook page ALLEGING that the 32-year-old was a child molester, Kern County sheriff's Detective Daniel Perez wrote in the warrant. In the years he's worked in law enforcement, the detective wrote, he is aware that convicted or accused sex offenders are sometimes assaulted or killed because of their criminal history.

Perez found a Facebook page that had selfies of White, and he noted comments made in March and April of last year alleging that White was a child molester and listing possible addresses for him in Los Angeles and New York, the warrant states. ..Continued..

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Homeless man arrested in 2015 killing of convicted rapist

12-22-17 Oregon:

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) — Springfield police say a homeless man has been arrested in the 2015 killing of a 71-year-old man.

Sgt. David Lewis said in a news release that 50-year-old Edward Hughes was arrested Thursday night in Eugene and booked into the Lane County Jail on a charge of a murder. He did not say what led investigators to Hughes.

The victim, Leonard Johnson, was found dead in his Springfield apartment on Sept. 7, 2015. He was a convicted rapist and registered sex offender. ..Source..

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3rd Man Killed in Train Wreck Was Convicted Sex Offender

12-22-17 Oregon:

Authorities have identified the third person killed in the deadly Amtrak derailment outside of Seattle as a man under federal supervision for a child pornography conviction.

Authorities have identified the third person killed in the deadly Amtrak derailment outside of Seattle as a man under federal supervision for a child pornography conviction.

The Pierce County coroner's office said Wednesday that Benjamin Gran, 40, of Auburn, Washington, died of multiple traumatic injuries in the train wreck Monday.

Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Seattle, said the prosecutor was notified Wednesday of Gran's death. Gran had been ordered to a lifetime of supervised release following a felony conviction for child pornography.

Gran had pleaded guilty and served two years in prison before his release in 2015. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

Gran died on the maiden voyage of a faster train route between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. ..Source..

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Sex offender wanted for Kokomo rape dead after standoff in Louisiana

12-10-17 Louisiana:

ACADIA PARISH, La. – Kokomo Police confirmed that the suspect accused of raping and confining a woman last week has died following a standoff in Louisiana, according to Fox59.

Gary Perkins, of Kokomo, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after Acadia Parish Sheriff Dept. responded to a report of a suspicious person at a gas station on Saturday night.

The victim told police that she was struck in the head and went unconscious around 6 p.m. on Monday. When she regained consciousness, she reportedly struggled with Perkins before she was strangled and lost consciousness again.

After allegedly being confined to a bed and raped, the victim says she was finally able to free herself about 12 hours later after the suspect left the residence. ..Continued..

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Child molester's death at Shelton prison investigated as homicide

11-22-17 Washington:

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Authorities say a 57-year-old man serving a life sentence for child molestation at the Washington Corrections Center near Shelton died over the weekend and police are investigating it as an apparent homicide.

The Olympian reports the state Corrections Department said Bryan Emmal died after "sustaining injuries in his two-person cell" shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday.

Corrections officials planned to conduct a critical incident review.

Emmal was a medium-custody inmate at the prison, which houses about 1,270 men in medium, close and maximum custody. Emmal began serving a life sentence Sept. 8 after he was convicted of child molestation in Thurston County.

Emmal's cellmate, Daniel Porter, is being housed in the facility's intensive management unit pending an investigation.

Porter began serving a 15-month sentence Oct. 19 for burglary in Pierce County. ..Source..

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Accused child molester plunges to death trying to escape angry parents

11-9-17 New York

A Queens man was accused of molesting two kids at a children’s birthday party — and then wound up dead on the pavement hours later.

Edgar Collaguazo, 44, plunged to his death from a fourth-floor apartment inside a building on 95th Street in Jackson Heights early Thursday, police said.

He sublets a room in his unit to the 5-year-old birthday boy’s family, and had offered to let the child and a young girl watch a movie in his room while the adults partied, police and the family said.

But when one child’s mom went to check on them around midnight, she found Collaguazo with his hand down the boy’s pants. The girl later claimed the man had kissed her on the mouth.

Some of the adults began hitting Collaguazo. Then they locked the accused perv in his room and called the cops.

Collaguazo tried to flee out a window — and landed directly on a metal fence, before bouncing onto the ground, grisly security footage from the street level shows.

Police arrived moments later. EMS rushed him to the hospital in critical condition, and he later died, officials said.

The boy’s furious mom said Collaguazo and her son were very close, but she wasn’t aware of him touching the child in the past.

“I never imagined he was able to do something like that,” she told The Post. ..Source..

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Watch: Okla. Deputy Shoots Sex Offender that Stabbed Him

10-24-17 Arkansas:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office has released bodycam video of a deputy shooting a stabbing suspect.

The deputy, Christian Good, was serving two warrants for the arrest of convicted sex offender, Phillip Trammell, on Friday.

As Good searched a room, Trammell stabbed him twice with a knife. That's when Good shot and killed him.

Sheriff Larry Lane said in a press conference Tuesday this is not what an officer wants to happen, and it can be a heavy burden to bear.

Good was taken to the hospital soon after the shooting. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Oklahoma State Police are investigating the incident.

Watch the video. It does contain strong content that some viewers may find disturbing.

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Convicted sex offender dead after stabbing Oklahoma deputy

10-23-17 Oklahoma:

SEQUOYAH COUNTY, Okla. - A convicted sex offender is dead after allegedly stabbing an Oklahoma deputy.

Authorities say a Muldrow police officer and a deputy with the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Department were serving an arrest warrant Friday for Phillip Trammell.

Trammell was reportedly wanted for forgery, child support and out of compliance with sex offender registry.

Investigators told KFSM that officers found Trammell hiding under a pile of clothes inside a home.

Trammell allegedly lunged at officers with a knife, stabbing the Sequoyah County deputy in the arm and chest.

The suspect was eventually shot dead.

The deputy was rushed to the hospital to be treated for his injuries.

According to KFSM, the deputy is expected to be okay. ..Source..

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Suspected sex offender dead after shootout with U.S. Marshals

10-23-17 Florida:

BROOKSVILLE (FOX 13) - A suspected sex offender is dead after a shootout with U.S. Marshals and Hernando County Deputies, according to Sheriff Al Nienhius.

The sheriff said detectives were serving a warrant for charges of sexual battery on a "very young victim."

Sheriff Nienhuis said the suspect fired at least one shot at deputies and detectives, who returned fire.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. No law enforcement officers were injured.

The sheriff said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, The U.S. Marshals Office, and the Hernando County Sheriff's Office were all on the scene. ..Continued..

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Registered sex offender who escaped Fort Worth halfway house found dead in South Carolina

10-23-17 South Carolina:

A wanted sex offender who escaped from a Fort Worth halfway house earlier this month was found dead in South Carolina on Saturday.

Police believe Brent Allen Jozefkowicz died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Saturday morning in Myrtle Beach, said Lonny Haschel, a Department of Public Safety spokesman.

Haschel said officers also arrested four people suspected of helping Jozefkowicz escape on Aug. 4.

DPS, along with several agencies, arrested Jon Ryan Evans, 45, Teresa Kaye Shook, 51, Russell Wayne Shoot, 54, and Paula Pedigo, 45, accusing them of hindering apprehension, a third-degree felony. ..Source..

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Callaway County inmate found dead after standoff was registered sex offender

10-22-17 Missouri:

CALLAWAY COUNTY, Mo. - The Callaway County inmate who died on Wednesday after a stand-off was a registered sex offender, Callaway County Sheriff Chism confirmed.

According to court documents, MacVittie was charged with first degree rape and sodomy back in March of 2000.

Seth MacVittie was in the Department of Corrections for possession of contraband inside a correctional facility before he was transferred to Callaway County Jail, where he escaped.

At about 2 p.m. Wednesday, deputies believed they saw MacVittie inside the home. Deputies and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers were then called to secure a perimeter around the residence.

Sheriff Clay Chism said everyone else inside the home was able to safely leave and were removed from the area. ..Continued..

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Man killed in Jefferson County was burglar accidentally shot by accomplice, police say

10-22-17 Missouri:

JEFFERSON COUNTY • Three men have been charged with murder after police say one of them accidentally shot a man who was helping them burglarize a Fenton mobile home.

Ramone Thomas, 26, died at a hospital after the shooting at about 4 a.m. Wednesday in the 700 block of Chancellor Lane.

Police say Thomas was among a group of burglars who were ransacking a mobile home when the homeowner arrived and confronted them.

The burglars ran off, but during their escape, one of the men apparently fired a shot at the homeowner, striking Thomas instead. ..Continued..

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Convicted Sex Offender Dead After Stabbing Sequoyah County Deputy

10-20-17 Arkansas:

SEQUOYAH COUNTY (KFSM) -- A convicted sex offender was killed after stabbing a Sequoyah County deputy in Muldrow Friday (Oct. 20).

According to Sheriff Larry Lane, a deputy was taken to Sparks Regional Medical Center with stab wounds. Investigators said he was stabbed in the arm and chest and will be released after he is treated. His name has not been released at this time.

Investigators confirmed to 5NEWS that the deputy was on duty at the time of the stabbing, and that a Muldrow police officer drove him to the hospital.

Undersheriff Greg Cox said a deputy and a Muldrow police officer went to a residence at 10th and Enid at about 4:25 p.m. to serve an arrest warrant. Phillip Trammell was wanted for forgery, child support and out of compliance with sex offender registry. The officers went looking for Trammell and found him hiding under a pile of clothes, Cox said. Trammell reportedly lunged at the officers, and after a scuffle the suspect was shot and killed, according to Cox. ..Source..

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Missing Florida sex offender found dead, foul play suspected

10-15-17 Florida:

A 60-year-old sex offender in Florida who cut off his ankle monitor and was on the loose since Saturday has been found dead.

Larry J. Williams remains were found in Hernando County, and sheriff’s office investigators suspect he was the victim of foul play.

“It is very early in the investigation and there is still much work that must be completed; therefore, investigators are unable to release additional information at this time,” the sheriff’s office posted to its Facebook page.

Law enforcement officials had been looking for Williams since Saturday when he removed his ankle monitoring device and tossed it into the woods.

Deputies said they found his 1996 GMC Yukon on Tuesday and then his body on Thursday. ..Continued..

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California Is Right to Curb the Sex Offender Registry

10-11-17 California:

It's overly applied, unintentionally harsh and ultimately self-defeating.

Say what you want about Governor Jerry Brown, but never say he’s not brave. He just signed a law that could eventually purge 90 percent of the names off of California’s lifetime registry for sex offenders.

I expect that he, and the legislators who passed it, will be subjected to the withering outrage that accompanies any action or statement, however mild or correct, that seems “soft” on sex offenders. I once wrote a column suggesting that pedophiles who are attracted to children but do not act on their impulses need more support from society to help keep them on the straight and narrow. Of course I was roundly scorned as being, at best, a woolly-headed liberal with a permanently broken moral compass, and at worst, probably a pedophile myself.

This is how we have ended up with the absurdities of the sex offender registries. In which teenaged boys who slept with their underage girlfriends can be required to spend years of their life (perhaps all the years of their life), fending off revolted stares from neighbors who think they’re child molesters. In which men have to sleep under bridges because there is no abode in the county that is far enough from a child for them to legally take residence. In which work, marriage, travel or even a roof over your head become near-impossible dreams for anyone ever convicted of any sexual offense -- and you may even be liable for these penalties if you are accused of exploiting … yourself.

The results can occasionally be not only absurd, but also tragic. At 19, William Elliott had sex with his then-girlfriend, who was a few weeks shy of her 16th birthday. Five years later he was shot to death by a pedophile-hunting Canadian gunman who found his name on Maine’s sex offender registry.

In this context, California’s step back is rather modest; they are allowing sex offenders to be removed from the registry 10 or 20 years after they serve their sentence, provided they haven’t committed another serious crime in the meantime. What’s remarkable about the legislation is that it happened at all; it stalled for years, because lawmakers were afraid of being seen as soft on crime. ..Continued..

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Cicero settles lawsuit over fatal police shooting for $3.1 million

See Also: Cicero cop shooting tied to gun Chicago P.D. should have destroyed

8-31-17:

The Town of Cicero has settled a 5-year-old lawsuit over a fatal shooting by a police officer with a troubled past for $3.1 million.

Lawyers for the family of Cesar Munive have alleged the town never should have hired Officer Donald Garrity, who they say shot Munive while he was unarmed in July 2012. They say Garrity lied about being forced to resign from a previous police job in Berwyn, and they say he helped plant a gun to justify Munive’s death.

But neither side is admitting any liability in the settlement, according to a copy of the agreement filed in federal court Wednesday. The town insists Munive “was a bad guy,” and Garrity’s lawyer says another officer is alive today thanks to Garrity.

The settlement still needs the blessing of U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso, who is scheduled to hear from the lawyers next week. The settlement agreement also requires the town to pay $400,000 in attorneys’ fees. A trial set for last July was canceled when the judge was told about the pending deal, records show.

“Cesar Munive was a known member of the Latin Counts Street Gang operating in Cicero,” Town spokesman Ray Hanania wrote in a statement. “He was a convicted felon on parole and was known to carry a weapon. Munive was a bad guy, destructive to the community who had threatened to kill people many times. Munive was a registered sex offender.” ..Continued..

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Three faces charges in connection with dumping of sex offender's body

10-6-17 Ohio:

HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio (WKEF/WRGT) - Three people have been charged in connection with the disposal of the body of a registered sex offender in September 2016.

Brian Moore was found dead in a wooded area of Huber Heights, According to the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office, three people were with him and using drugs when he overdosed. Those people then reportedly took his body to Wildcat Road, dumped it and set it on fire.

Heather Cooper, 41, was indicted Friday for two counts of tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse, and Stanley Miller was indicted on two counts of tampering with evidence, gross abuse of a corpse and arson. David Ellis had pleaded guilty to a bill of information on September 27, and he's charged with tampering with evidence, gross abuse of a corpse and arson. Cooper and Miller are set to be arraigned October 12. ..Source..

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Corrections officials regain control of McCormick prison dorm

10-4-17 South Carolina:

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Authorities were still investigating Wednesday how several inmates got to the top of a dorm room at a maximum-security prison in South Carolina.

Department of Corrections spokesman Jeff Taillon told The Associated Press that a handful inmates climbed on top of a dorm at McCormick Correctional Institution, about 85 miles west of Columbia. According to Taillon, officials didn’t see the ascent as a serious escape attempt, because the inmates would have had to get through at least three fences topped with razor wire to get to freedom.

The Department of Corrections said on Twitter that the dorm had been secured as of 9 p.m. Wednesday night.

McCormick County Sheriff Clarke Starnes said no inmates have escaped Wednesday from McCormick Correctional Institution and no injuries have been reported so far. Starnes said firefighters were called, but have been asked to stay outside until it is safe. ..Source..

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Wakulla Correctional Institute prisoner killed in 'inmate-on-inmate altercation'

10-3-17 Florida:

A Brandon father is looking for information about the death of his son during what Florida prison officials are describing as an "inmate-on-inmate altercation" at the Wakulla Correctional Institute Annex.

Ryan M. Mason’s death on Monday is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and its Inspector General office, but few details are being released about the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Mason, a convicted sex offender, was in a protective management program at the prison, according to his father, Ray Mason.

Due to the active investigation and the Federal HIPAA Privacy Rule, this is all of the information currently available,” wrote FDC spokeswoman Ashley Cook in a statement. Federal health privacy law extends to deceased inmates, according to FDC’s guidelines.

WCI has been the scene of recent brutal attacks recently. In August an inmate was severely injured in a fight with two other inmates. A month earlier, an inmate stabbed a WCI correctional officer in the back.

Mason said besides a call from the prison chaplain on Monday, he knows little else other than his son is dead.

He’s tried several times to contact the prison’s warden Jacob Sorey without results. On Tuesday, he contacted the office of state Sen. Tom Lee, R- Thonotosassa, searching for answers.

Mason said when he last spoke to his son Saturday, he seemed in good health and high spirits.

“By now, it’s been over 24 hours. They should have had the compassion and consideration to tell me what happened to my son, not just that he’s dead,” Mason said by phone. “I’m just very frustrated and fearful about what’s happened to him.”

Mason, 36, was arrested in January 2013 on charges including soliciting a minor and distribution of child porn in an FDLE sting operation.

According to media reports, Mason was arrested after traveling from Tampa to the Orlando area to meet someone he thought was a 12-year-old girl. When FDLE agents surprised him, he tried to run them over and broke a Taser they used to try to subdue him. Agents described him as a “violent child predator.”

He was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison for traveling to meet a minor, assault, resisting an officer with violence and numerous counts of sending and possessing child pornography.

The protective management program Mason said his son was in separates inmates from the general population for health or safety reasons.

When told his son was killed in an altercation with other inmates, Mason said “I just can’t see that.

“He’s just not a fighter at all. He would run from a fight in a heartbeat. But of course, I don’t know the details.” ..Source..

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